Fire-ravaged Hewlett building being refurbished

Hewlett Café owner Elizabeth Mero lived in an apartment above her restaurant at 1443 Broadway, but has been commuting to work from Manhattan since a Valentine’s Day fire destroyed the apartments upstairs as well as three businesses, a nail salon, a florist and a deli. The fire left nearly three dozen residents homeless.

Fortunately for Mero, the Hewlett Café was the only business that didn’t sustain damage, and she reopened six weeks after the fire. “The restaurant wasn’t affected,” she said, “but we couldn’t open until the Building Department and the Health Department deemed it safe.”

She added, of her life since the fire, “It’s been difficult, but I can deal with it. When it first happened I went through a mourning period, but now I’ve gotten more used to it.”

The fire, at 1435-1441 Broadway, was declared an accident by the Nassau County fire marshal’s office. Hewlett Fire Chief Ethan Lahey said that the blaze originated in the kitchen of a second-floor apartment at the back of the building, and caused approximately $500,000 in damage.

Mero acknowledged that her business has suffered since the fire. “None of the stores are open, so less people come in,” she said. “There used to be a nail salon, deli and flower shop, so people would be getting their nails done and stop in here for something to eat. I’ve lost a lot of business.”

Hewlett Florist owner Dale Sealy, whose shop suffered significant damage, said he does not intend to return to the same location, 1437 Broadway, but instead plans to downsize somewhere else in Hewlett. “Right now I’m looking for a new place in the same town, but just at a different location,” he said. “Some people are still very loyal to me, and I’m relocating in Hewlett because of the people; they’re my customers and I know them.”

Sealy said that his business has suffered tremendously since the fire. “I lost 50 percent of my business,” he said. “People were scared after the fire. They panicked and moved on. I used to do floral arrangements for school graduations, and now that’s gone. I’m still waiting to hear from the insurance company regarding the payment, and I’m doing landscaping on the side.”

Valley Stream-based M Marin Restoration, which has been in the fire-restoration business for 40 years, has been working on the Broadway building for the past three months. President Marc Marinoff said that demolition, debris removal, framing, roofing, window installation and electrical and plumbing work have been completed in the 10 apartments in the building. “Four apartments require various inspections, as there’s major structural damage,” he said.

The most difficult work was removing the debris, Marinoff said. “Tenants have to get out what they wish to salvage and we have to throw a lot of it away before we can get to the demolition work,” he explained. “It makes it more difficult and time-consuming because you don’t want to throw out anything they might want to save.”

Marinoff said he expects the work to be completed in three to four months, or possibly sooner. “There are various inspections we need from the [Town of Hempstead] and hopefully we can get those done in a timely manner,” he said.

Anticipating the day she can live in the building again, Mero maintains a positive attitude. “Right now I’m taking it day by day in hopes that everything falls into place,” she said. “I’m dealing with the commuting and trying to look on the bright side. I always try to look on the bright side of things.”